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FAMILY WEEKEND EDITION

W E ’ R E T H E R E W H E N YO U C A N ’ T B E

FRIDAY

SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

B AY L O R L A R I AT. C O M

Baylor raises the bar Enrollment, graduation, retention rates improve CLARISSA ANDERSON Reporter

Lariat File Photo

TRUE TALENT A trio of Baylor students performs at last year’s After Dark event in Waco Hall. This year’s performance will include 14 acts for a total of about 30 performers of all different types.

Awesome Acts After Dark Students take talents to spotlight showcase KALYN STORY Staff Writer Frisco senior Isabella Maso performed an original song in front of thousands just one month into her freshman year at Baylor. Now, as a senior, she prepares to sing and play the guitar at After Dark again this weekend. “After Dark is so special to me, I am already feeling nostalgic about this weekend,” Maso said. “It’s almost as if my Baylor career is coming full circle with this performance.” This performance is particularly special to Maso because her brother is a freshman at Baylor and will be in the audience Saturday, along with their parents. Maso will be singing “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert, a choice inspired by her feelings toward Baylor and graduating. “The song is about going back to the place you grew up,” Maso said. “In a way, Baylor is where I grew up.” Maso will actually change the last line of the song to reflect her growth at Baylor. Instead of the original lyric of “The House that Built Me,” Maso will sing “because Baylor built me.”

Coppell junior Logan Earnst, executive producer of student productions, has been planning the event since May. “We have worked hard to make After Dark a celebration of Baylor and its students,” Earnst said. “We want to take this opportunity to showcase all the talent Baylor students have to offer and show new students, older students, parents and community members.” Student Productions held auditions the first week of school. Starting with around 30 auditions, the productions committee selected 14 acts to perform at the show. “We like to get acts that are different,” Earnst said. “I like to call it a variety show instead of a talent show. I love seeing business majors get up on stage and sing an original song they wrote and just be amazing.” The show is at 8 p.m. today and Saturday night and is expected to run about two hours. Tickets will be available on the Baylor Student Productions website until 3 p.m. today and will be sold at the door before both shows. Tickets are $10 for Baylor students and $14 for general admission. There will also be an art exhibit in the lobby of Waco Hall before and after the shows showcasing students’ art.

Lariat File Photo

SING OUT This Baylor student sings at last year’s After Dark performance in Waco Hall. From musicians to dancers and stand-up comedians, After Dark is a true variety show of diverse Baylor talent.

Baylor has hit record highs in enrollment, graduation rates and freshman retention, and higher 2017 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The fall 2016 freshman class is the second largest class yet with a total of 3,503 students, and out-of-state freshman enrollment increased to 35.7 percent. “We are very pleased to see the message of Baylor University is reaching more students every day around the nation,” said Jennifer Carron, associate vice president of undergraduate enrollment, in a Baylor Media Communications press release. “This class will enable our graduates to have a more far-reaching alumni base with whom to connect, leading them to better opportunities throughout their careers.” Overall, minority enrollment is up to 34.6 percent, and over the past seven years, Baylor’s retention rate of first-time freshmen has improved by 9 percent to reach fall 2016’s record of 89 percent of freshmen returning to Baylor for their sophomore year. Baylor is U.S. News & World Report ranked No. 71 in the nation, placing it second in the Big 12 after UT Austin (No. 56). Baylor is also ranked fourth in Texas after Rice University (No. 15), SMU (No. 56) and UT Austin (No. 56). Baylor is also ranked above Texas A&M (No. 74) and TCU (No. 82). The increase in student enrollment Baylor has been experiencing is important, said Dr. Sinda Vanderpool, associate vice provost for academic enrollment management, because many private universities are struggling to maintain their enrollment while public universities are gaining momentum. “Baylor has been in a tough spot in the past six months, but when I saw the results were still positive, I felt a tremendous sense of gratitude [to its students],” Vanderpool said. Even though Baylor has been having more students enroll, retention rates are still rising. Vanderpool said the increase in student retention can be correlated with Baylor providing more support for underrepresented populations, using data better and honing New Student Experience courses. “In the past six or seven years, we’ve been able to be a little bit more intentional with mentoring students,” Vanderpool said. Baylor has started “First In Line,” a program to provide resources to Baylor’s growing population of first-generation college students. To reach other

Fountain-hoppers find fishy surprise JOY MOTON Reporter A group of Baylor students were horrified to discover Wednesday night that the new Rosenbalm Fountain had become an ill-suited home for dead and barely surviving fish. Houston freshman Noelle Flores planned to go fountainhopping with a group of friends. When they got in the fountain, they saw a white and silver fish floating in the water. “We thought it was dead at first because it was just lying on the bottom of the fountain floor,” Flores said. “After maybe like five minutes, it just got up and started swimming.” As the group proceeded to walk around the side of the fountain, they noticed more fish of various sizes floating and swimming. College Station senior Daniel Adams said some were the size of half of a pencil, while others were Vol.117 No. 12

Liesje Powers | Photo Editor

FISHY BUSINESS Baylor students discovered fish in the Rosenbalm Fountain Wednesday night.

nearly a foot long. Some of the students began to run the surviving fish to the creek next to the Bear Pit. “We were thinking, ‘These fish are probably slowly dying because this water is not meant to be lived in by fish,’” Flores said. Other students noticed that the floating fish were dead and

scooped them out of the fountain. “It was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Spring senior Kat Largent. “Their gills were all open because they were suffocated, basically.” Adams said it took about 15 minutes to get an estimated 10 to 12 fish out of the fountain. “People want to mess with it;

I understand that,” Adams said. “We’re college students and that’s what happens, but there’s a limit, and I just don’t think they thought of what’s going to happen to the fish.” The Baylor Police Department was called to the scene and said this is not the first time an incident like this has happened. According to the Baylor Police Department, an officer on foot patrol found a gar in the fountain Wednesday night. With the help of another officer, they used a capture pole to remove the fish from the fountain and placed it in the marina. Since the fountain’s opening in fall 2015, people have seen dogs, children, ducks and other various objects placed in the fountain. “The fountain is on our campus for everyone to enjoy,” said Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president for media communications. “It’s a beautiful addition to Baylor, so I hope everyone would respect it.”

RANKINGS >> Page A8

>>WHAT’S INSIDE opinion New iPhone 7: Will the new upgrade be for better or for worse? pg. A2

arts & life Family Weekend events: A complete calendar of events going on at Baylor and around Waco this weekend. pg. B1

sports

Baylor Women’s Golf finishes in third place at Dick McGuire Invite. pg. B7

© 2016 Baylor University


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